Standing Out
by theshadowsofheaven
Summary: Sequel to "Adapting", my previous story. Rocky, CeCe, Gunther, Tinka, and Ty are all accepted into a performing arts boarding school. But in a school filled with talent, how will they manage to find their confidence? Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So, I apologize if you saw my "story" asking what you wanted me to write about. I deleted it because, ironically, I had a burst of inspiration right after I decided to ask. Sorry about that. Anyway, if you haven't yet, please go read my story "Adapting". I will possibly be referencing events in that story throughout this one, as it is a sequel, so it would be easier to understand if you had already read the original story.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

CeCe's POV

I slammed my locker shut, clutching my notebook in my arms. I sighed, staring happily at the ceiling. I looked down at my notebook, grinned, and ripped it in half.

School was finally OVER.

I tossed the two halves of the notebook at a random kid and continued to strut down the hallway.

A familiar lock of brunette-colored hair caught my eye as I stopped to look around.

"Rocky, there you are!" I called.

She turned to see me and ran over, arms outstretched. Once she reached me, she gave me a huge hug, refusing to let go.

Then I heard a sob.

I grabbed Rocky by the shoulders and pushed her off of me. "Really, Rocky?" I said, "I thought you'd be over this by now."

"Over what?" she asked, wiping her tears.

"Over the fact that whenever school ends, it makes you cry? And not of happiness?"

"I'm sorry," Rocky groaned, "I just love to learn."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, why don't you go _learn_ a bit about that cute guy over there?"

She crossed her arms at me. "CeCe, you know I'm dating Logan."

I blinked. "Logan who?"

This time, it was Rocky's turn to roll her eyes. "CeCe, just because you pretend to have forgotten that Logan exists doesn't mean that I will. You know that I love him."

"Ew, Rocky! Love is gross!" I teased, scrunching my nose into a disgusted position.

"Our sophomore year is finally over, Baybees!"

I turned around. "Aw, Gunther, I love you!" I said, admiring that he had the right feeling about school ending.

"Yeah," Rocky scoffed, "You _obviously_ think love is gross."

I shot her a glare and turned back to Gunther.

"So, you excited for boarding school?" I asked him.

Gunther looked confused. "Summer just started, CeCe. Why think about school?"

I gave him a concerned look. "Um, because we have to move in to the Chicago Academy of Performing Arts by the end of June?"

He remained confused. "Wait, isn't it the Chicago Academy of _Fine_ Arts?"

"No," I replied, "That was the one that rejected Rocky and I because of out crazy scheme to get Rocky a scholarship."

"Ah, I see," Gunther responded, nodding.

"Come on," I told him, "You're going to help me pack."

Tinka's POV

"Oh, come on, get in there!" I complained, trying to shove something into my almost full suitcase.

"Just give up, Tinka. Do you really need a third Betwinkler anyway?" Ty called from the bathroom.

I put my hands on my hips. "And do you need to spend 2 hours in the bathroom combing your hair?"

Ty stuck his head out the door. "Hey," he said, pointing to his hair, "You don't just wake up in the morning with hair like _this_. Besides, you take just as long as me to do _your _hair."

"Well, I'm a girl. Besides, my hair is WAY better than yours," I replied, adjusting my bow while looking into a compact mirror.

"Oh, really?" Ty asked, emerging from the bathroom and walking towards me. "Then maybe I'll just shave it all off."

I gasped. "Oh, for the love of goats, no."

"For the love of _goats_?" he asked.

"Ty, you know that the goat is a sacred animal in my country," I responded.

"Right," he said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and gave the Betwinkler one last shove before slamming my suitcase shut. "Yes!"

Ty walked over and wrapped his arms around me. "This year is going to be great."

I smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Yes, it is."

Deuce's POV

I strolled through town, my hands in my pockets. Dina had gone back home, and she was still in school. All of my friends were leaving to go to some fancy performing arts boarding school, so I'd have to spend my junior and senior year of high school alone.

I kind of wish one of them would end up hating the school and coming back to John Hughes, but I knew that wouldn't happen. I mean, there was no way that one of them would want to leave such a prestigious school.

Suddenly, I had an idea. A cruel, sneaky idea.

Yes, none of my friends would ever want to leave that fancy academy. So, it would seem that there was no chance of them coming back to John Hughes.

That is, unless one of them was kicked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**NOTE: CAPA = Chicago Academy of Performing Arts.**

Rocky's POV

I threw my last suitcase into the back of Ty's van and clapped my hands. "There!" I announced, "All of my stuff is packed."

I looked over to see Ty yawning the front seat. "Finally," he remarked, turning around. "Whoa!"

"Oh, I know right? I really had to downsize after I-"

"_This_ is downsized?!" Ty exclaimed, gesturing towards the five large suitcases.

"I'm sorry!" I replied frantically. "I have a lot of clothes, okay?!"

Ty took a deep breath. "Fine, whatever. I just hope there's enough room for everyone else's things."

"There will be," I assured him.

"Well, at least no one can take up more space than you did," he said.

**ONE HOUR LATER**

Ty began to smack his head into the steering wheel as CeCe and Tinka each loaded _seven_ suitcases into the back of the van. As they closed the doors, one suitcase was launched forward into the front seat.

"Are you guys serious?" he asked. "There isn't even any room to sit."

"Well, yeah," CeCe replied, "That's why we're taking the bus."

Ty's eyes popped out of his head. "WHAT?! You mean I have to drive these _nineteen_ suitcases to the academy while you guys ditch me and take the _bus?_!"

Tinka patted the top of his head. "That's right, sweetie!"

Gunther's POV

I came outside and watched as CeCe, Tinka, and Rocky walked off to the bus stop with their designer purses.

"See you soon, Baybees!" I called after them.

I opened the back of Ty's van and an avalanche of suitcases knocked me to the ground.

I pushed them all off and managed to stand up. "What the..."

"Gunther! You okay?" a voice called.

I looked up to see a peppy, curly-haired cheerleader standing in front of me.

"Oh," I said, "Hello, Danielle."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Danielle asked, grabbing my arms and checking them for bruises.

I pulled my arm away. "What are you doing?"

"Well," she replied, running her finger down my arm, "I heard that you were going to a performing arts boarding school, and..."

"That is true," I responded, urging her to continue.

"What I'm trying to say is... You must be very talented," Danielle finished.

I straightened my posture. "Well, I'd like to say that I am," I paused, then pointed a finger at her, "Baybee!"

She giggled and pulled out a pen. "Why don't you call me sometime? We should hang out," she said, writing the ten digits on my arm and winking before walking away.

"Hm," I thought, "A new friend."

Deuce's POV

"There's gotta be something..." I thought to myself, scrolling through CAPA's online student handbook.

"Vandalism? No, too hard to frame someone," I said aloud.

"Murder? I want them back at John Hughes, not in jail," I remarked, dismissing that option as well.

Suddenly, my cursor fell upon another choice. The perfect choice.

"That one."

Ty's POV

"I can't believe they ditched me like that," I said aloud to myself.

"I know!" a voice said.

"Aaah!" I shouted, jumping back in my seat. "Gunther, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Whatever. And _I_ haven't ditched you, Ty!" he announced enthusiastically.

I sighed. Could this get any worse?

Gunther climbed into the van and honked the horn.

"Don't do that," I told him.

"Oh, come on, Ty. I know that somewhere deep behind those terribly bland clothes, you're excited!"

I shot Gunther a glare, then my expression grew into a small grin. "I guess I am pretty psyched about this."

"Exactly!" Gunther exclaimed, "So, show it!"

I nodded, my smile widening. I put the keys in the ignition and started the car.

"Chicago Academy of Performing Arts, here we come!"

Gunther gave me a disappointed expression.

I rolled my eyes. "Baybee," I added.

"Yes!" he agreed. "Let's do this, baybee!"

About 30 minutes later, we arrived at the front of the academy. I stepped out of the van and simply admired the building. This was where I would be spending my entire senior year, honing my performing skills.

This was my fresh start.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! You already know what I'm going to say. Sorry for the late upload, I've been busy, excuses, blah, blah, blah. But yes, I really have been quite busy. I mean, how long has it been since my last update, 3 weeks maybe? I don't even know anymore. School is extremely stressful, so I will probably be lagging in between uploads. My point is, as much as I'd like to update faster, I certainly won't be able to upload chapters every 3 days like I did with my previous story, "Adapting". School just... makes me lazy, I guess. I hope you guys understand. Anyway, enjoy!**

CeCe's POV

I stood in front of the massive brick building that I would soon learn to call "home". There were kids dancing on the edge of a spectacular white marble fountain, a girl sitting on a bench with her guitar, clutching her songbook, and several other kids like me, simply standing there, awestruck.

Wait- did I use that right?

I turned to Rocky, who was already squinting at her class schedule. "Rocky, what does awestruck mean?"

She waved her hand at me. "Not now, CeCe."

I shrugged and skipped to the front doors of the building. I looked down at the clipboard in my hands and scanned it quickly, seeing my dorm assignment immediately.

I continued to skip down the hallway until I heard a loud giggle. As I turned to the side, I crashed into something and fell backwards onto the ground. I got up and brushed myself off, then looked up, ready to totally tell someone off.

Before me stood a tall, brown-haired boy about my age. He had gorgeous hazel eyes, and-

What am I thinking? I have a boyfriend!

A voice cut through my thoughts. "Whoa, I'm sorry. Guess I wasn't looking where I was going," the dark haired boy explained apologetically.

"Oh, uh, no problem," I replied quickly. As I caught myself gazing into his eyes once again, I began to walk away, but he stopped me.

"I'm Josh, by the way," he said, sticking out his hand.

I shook it briefly, then turned around again to leave.

"Wait!" He called, "You never told me your name."

I spun back around and felt myself melting as we locked eyes once again.

"CeCe," I told him.

Ty's POV

I had hauled the last of the girls' suitcases to each their dorm, and I sunk to the floor. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Ty!"

I was so startled by the shrill voice calling my name that I bashed my head on the wall behind me.

"Ow..." I moaned.

Rocky skipped up to me. "Isn't this so exciting, Ty? We're in a new school, filled with tons of people with interests and talents just like ours!"

"It would be a lot more exciting," I replied, "If I wasn't seeing four of you right now."

"I'll go get you some ice," Rocky said, seeing how dizzy I was.

She walked away, and I saw a blonde girl coming my away. As the girl came closer, I identified her as Tinka.

I stood up, still in a daze. "Hey, Tinka."

"Hello, Ty! Oh, I just love this school! Everything is just so... shiny!" She paused for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just hit my head, but the pain's fading now," I told her.

"Oh, my poor baby!" she said, immediately giving me a hug.

Rocky arrived with my ice, and she held it up to the back of my head.

Suddenly, a red-headed girl wearing way too much makeup appeared.

My vision was still a bit blurry. "CeCe?" I asked.

"Um, no. I'm Kayla," the girl replied. "Oooh, looks like I've found a ladies' man here," she said, seeing Rocky and Tinka taking care of me.

"I'm his sister," Rocky replied tersely.

"And _I'm _his _girlfriend_," Tinka said with a warning look in her eyes.

"And _I'm _going to walk away now," Kayla said, continuing on her way down the hall.

I laughed. "Really, Tinka? Do you have to scare away _all _of your competition? Maybe sometimes I need-"

Tinka slapped me on the arm before I could finish. "Don't even say it, Ty."

There was a loud beeping noise, and we all turned to a speaker on the wall.

"Hello new students, and welcome to CAPA! Just a reminder, final auditions will begin tomorrow at 1:00pm. Check your audition time on your schedule, and don't be late!"

Rocky, Tinka, and I all looked at each other with the same expression.

"What? We have to do a final audition? But we already have our class schedules and dorm assignments! They can still kick us out?" Rocky asked, looking extremely worried.

"That's right," a man said. "I'm the principal of CAPA, James Renner. Nice to meet you all."

I nodded. "Same to you, Mr. Renner. But with all due respect, haven't we all shown that we're good enough to be in this academy already?"

"Oh, yes. But we've had an accident with the paperwork, and it appears that we've let in way too many students this year. We're going to cut at least one hundred," Mr. Renner replied.

"One hundred?" Tinka asked. "But you only let in 150 students this year."

"Well, this is a prestigious school. Have a good day!"

Mr. Renner walked away briskly, and I stood there, unable to speak.

"Does that mean-" Tinka began.

"Yeah," Rocky said, "That means over they're cutting over half of the students tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! I actually don't have anything to say to you this time. **

**...Awkward.**

CeCe's POV

I sat in my dorm room with Rocky and Tinka, staring at the ceiling. Rocky was pacing back and forth in the middle of the room, obviously under a lot of stress.

"I just can't believe it. I _can't_ believe it. This is so unfair! We already auditioned- _twice._ It's just not fair." she said, crossing her arms and letting out a huff of exasperation.

Tinka rolled her eyes. "Yes, Rocky, we heard you the first time. And the second," she paused. "And the third."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Rocky apologized, "But I just can't-"

"BELIEVE IT, WE KNOW!" Tinka and I exclaimed simultaneously, finishing Rocky's sentence.

Rocky put her hands on her hips. "Well!"

"Look, Rocky," I said, "Just calm down. We're great performers! We sing, we dance, we act-" I looked at Rocky. "Well, Tinka and I can act..."

Rocky shot me a glare.

"Okay, my point is, we'll pass the audition."

"Yeah," Tinka said reassuringly, "I mean really, how good can these kids be?"

**THE NEXT DAY**

A girl who appeared to be younger than us finished her double somersault, landing in a split. The judges simply nodded and began writing on their clipboards.

"Okay," Tinka admitted, "Maybe these other kids are better than we expected."

Ty's POV

I walked out of the studio, sweating heavily. I had just finished my audition, and the judges had not looked impressed.

That said, they hadn't looked impressed when Rocky belted out the entire song 'Halo' by Beyonce without straining a single note. Or when CeCe had finished her performance with a spinning backflip. Or when Gunther... Nah, Gunther didn't do anything impressive. But that's besides the point; everyone else had a great audition, and the judges didn't react for any of them.

Maybe nothing impressed them.

Just as I thought that, the kid who had auditioned after me finished off his performance with one final move. As he struck his pose, the judges smiled widely and gave him a round of applause.

Crap, they _can _be impressed.

My phone beeped in my pocket, so I fished it out and looked at the text I had just received. It was from Deuce.

_Hey man how'd the audtion go_

I quickly replied "not so good" and continued on my way to my dorm.

Deuce's POV

I sat in my room, rubbing my hands together. I read Ty's reply to my text and smiled evilly.

"Yes! Phase One of 'Make Ty Feel Like He's Not Good Enough' is complete! MUAHAHAHAHA!"

I continued to laugh maniacally until my bedroom door opened. It was my mom.

"Deuce, honey? Everything alright?" she asked, poking her head through the door.

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, go away, Mom! I'm plotting how to ruin my best friend's life!"

She smiled. "Okay, just be done before dinner. Love you!"

With that, she closed the door. I groaned loudly.

"Pfft. Mothers."


End file.
